So sad to hear my friend Carman passed away. I had just spoken to him a few months ago regarding a film he wanted to do. He was one of the sweetest and most humble actors I ever worked with - very gifted in both music and acting. He's with the Lord now - that's all that matters.
Saturday, September 19, 2020
My prayers are with John MacArthur at Grace Community Church.
The LAPD are actually threatening to arrest him because he's holding church services.
The Lord is coming sooner than we think. "But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say." Matthew 10:19
Monday, August 24, 2020
We were suppose to release '20 MINUTES' this April, but the Covid nightmare stopped it.
You remember the Hawaii ballistic warning in 2018? We all thought we had minutes to live.
So I got to thinking what if you had 20 minutes to live? Would many turn to the Lord?
So the logline of course is: Nine characters find redemption as an incoming ballistic missile threatens to strike Hawaii in twenty minutes.
Just wrapped 'JOURNEY TO HELL' - very important film I hope the world gets to see. 50% of Christians no longer believe in hell. This will wake them up!
One of my fave quotes from my favorite writer: "Hell is filled with almost saved people" - Charles Spurgeon
Two hours before the big storm was suppose to make a direct hit on
Hawaii, my wife and I and many Believers in Christ prayed the storm
would pass and guess what? IT DID. GOD IS GREAT.
It took me over 7 years to write and produce this film. All the honor and glory to the Lord.
The film is based on two stories - one is a family escaping to the North with a legendary slave hunter in pursuit - and the second story is of John Newton, former slave trader who found redemption and wrote 'Amazing Grace'
I was an atheist before I found Christ in my 30's. In a lot of ways, I was worse than John Newton in my heart. But Christ saved me. I'm not perfect by any means, but I'm forgiven!
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / February 10, 2020 /As the Academy Awards wrapped on Sunday, one question is why the Academy ignored the critically-acclaimed movie, ‘The Islands', from director Timothy Chey. Was it due to the film being faith-based?
‘The Islands' was released theatrically on December 6, 2019 in over 45 major cities across the nation, including Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Houston, Orlando, Phoenix, etc
The film was also nominated for ‘Best Picture of the Year' by the Hawaii Film Critics Association.
So why was the film ignored by the Academy? ‘The Islands' is about a brave Hawaiian chiefess who challenged the volcano due to her faith in Christ in 1823 and has spent ten weeks in the theaters. The film starred a mostly Hawaiian/Polynesian cast and Oscar-Award winning actress Mira Sorvino.
"It's out of our hands," says Chey. "I'm just happy our film had a national theater release and several thousand people saw the film. That's my Academy Award!" he laughs.
Was the film ignored because of the faith component?
"I think the last faith-based film nominated was ‘Ben Hur' in 1959," Chey replies. "But I don't think there was any anti-faith discrimination. We didn't do a good enough job marketing to the Academy. But we'll do better with the sequel."
Chey believes the sequel, ‘The Islands: Betrayal," which begins shooting this summer (2020) will be nominated for ‘Best Picture'. "We'll definitely have the budget this time to do a full Academy push and screen the film to all the members," he says.
Chey has signed on to direct ‘The Islands: Betrayal'.
The sequel is based on the true story of Queen Lili'uokalani whose faith and courage saved Hawaii as she was dethroned and jailed.
Casting has already begun for the actress to play ‘Queen Lili'uokalani'.
"The Islands: Betrayal" Begins Shooting Summer 2020 Directed by Tim Chey
I’ll never forget as a young teen coming home one day and seeing my
mom sitting alone and sad. It disturbed me to see her like that. I said,
“Is everything ok, Mom?”
She replied, “Yes. I just went to get an oil change and I left paying
$3,700 for something I don’t think needed repair. It’s ok.”
My mom was a hard-working teacher and $3,700 wasn’t chump change.
It’s the reason I became a consumer-rights attorney and still am
despite being a full-time filmmaker. I hate seeing people get ripped
off. It brings the ‘Batman’ side to me like no other.
I don’t sue good people or good companies. I sue bad people and bad companies.
I sue a dishonest caterer who overcharges a film production. I sue
Netflix for failing to bring in a Christian movie due to fraud. I sue an
airlines for leaving a customer stranded at 4 am due to their fault.
As a born-again Christian, I can still love the people that we file
lawsuits against. But I can’t let them rip off people. I like Hosea
12:6: “But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and
wait for your God always.”
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / February 5, 2020 /The sequel to the critically-acclaimed film ‘The Islands' is set to start shooting this summer. Tim Chey has signed on to direct ‘The Islands: Betrayal'.
View photos
The sequel is based on the impossible true story of the betrayal of the last queen of Hawaii and her incredible faith and courage that inspired the world in 1893.
‘The Islands: Betrayal' will hit theaters in LA and NYC in December of this year and is set to release nationwide in January 2021. There will also be an Academy-Award campaign.
"Everyone has been betrayed," says Chey. "It's how you respond that sets your character above others and that's exactly how Queen Lili'uokalni responded as her throne was annexed and she was arrested and her supporters sentenced to death."
Chey directed the first film, ‘The Islands' about a brave Hawaiian chiefess who challenged the volcano in 1821. The film was nominated for ‘Best Picture' by the Hawaiian Film Critics Association and has spent ten weeks in the theaters.
The first film starred a 98% Hawaiian/Polynesian cast and Oscar-Award winning actress Mira Sorvino and John Savage.
Casting has already begun for the actress to play ‘Queen Lili'uokalani'.
"Whoever plays it will win the Oscar," jokes Chey. "All joking aside though, we will audition several hundred Hawaiian actresses and praying we will find an incredible actress like we did with the first movie."
Finished our 9th weekend and going on our 10th weekend for 'The Islands'.
For those who don't know, it's about a Hawaiian queen who found Christ over 200 years ago at great persecution.
We were also persecuted - and still are - for making it. But never so proud. Hebrews 6:10: "God will not forget your work. He's not unjust."
Whenever you wonder God's plan for your life, remember "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33 More info on 'The Islands':
Very sad to hear my friend John Witherspoon passed away.
John was so amazing and gracious on the set of my first film - 'Fakin' Da Funk' - we shot in the summer of 1996. I had never directed before and he was so patient and ever so kind.
I pray I'll see him again someday in Heaven and we can laugh again like we did.
Life is so short. 23 years flew by like a bullet train. Actually a speeding bullet.
Wish I could have spent even a dinner with John before he passed.
Here's the live reaction to our film, '20 MINUTES' about nine characters whose lives change when a ballistic missile heads their way. They have 20 minutes to live; hence the title:
So excited our film, 'The Islands' is coming to theaters on December 6, 2019.
Immortalized by Sir Alfred Lord Tennyson, ‘The Islands’ is based on the
true story of a Hawaiian queen who found Christ over two hundred years
ago and challenged the volcano god by going into an active volcano. It’s
considered one of the greatest acts of moral courage by a world leader.
My prayer is everyone sees the courage of this mighty woman of God. I directed this film for all the women of faith in leadership who are under attack from the enemy including my wife and daughter.
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." 2 Timothy 4:7
I love this verse and it keeps me going. We're constantly attacked. But we keep the faith!
- Tim Chey
Friday, July 29, 2016
In Nashville's airport right now, flying out to LA
Love the people here.
I realized recently that people cannot live without secular music. It blasts everywhere you go: Restaurants, Starbucks, Airport lobbies, Gas stations - imagine how angry they would get if we blared out "Jesus"?
Why is secular music not offensive when you listen to music that would offend my wife and children?
Incredible powerful Psalm for every Christian pastor, leader, filmmaker, missionary:
Psalm 25
1 In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.
2 I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. 3 No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.
There are a lot of people who are fake Christians who attack those in leadership. Trust God to fight your battles and that these enemies of the Cross will be put to shame in the end.
Here's an interview I did in Singapore with a former Yakuza gang member who's now a pastor - this was part of the film, 'Epic Journey' that took us to 36 countries.
"Epic Journey" took us 3 and 1/2 years to make - it finally premiered this year on Daystar TV to a prime-time audience reaching 80 million homes around the world - God is great!
Do you ever get the feeling there's something not quite right about American Christianity?
I've traveled to 36 countries and every time I come back to the U.S. I feel something is not right here.
It's almost like that weird movie, 'The Stepford Wives' - where the people in the small town were really aliens.
Authentic Christianity, I'm becoming convinced, cannot be found in America anymore. Christianity here is like this giant marketing machine driven by dollars. Every church is getting sucked into this machine.
Yes we love Jesus, but....it's not really about Jesus.
